"Having compared diesel models st the show, Key quality and detail doesn't compare to even OMI which is better in my opinion."
Matt, you're fairly new to O scale brass and very exuberant, which the hobby needs. I can remember my exuberant days back in the 80's and 90's and they were great. Having owned maybe 100+ OMI models over the years (pre 2000) and maybe 25 KEY models, I think your statement might be a bit sweeping. I can tell you from personal experience KEY models were built to a higher standard, held their value better and ran better out of the box. Again, this is for 2000 and earlier imports. After that time, OMI went modern and KEY stayed with transition era locos. I've owned new KEY locos imported in the past 17 years, but no OMI.
When OMI went to the tower drive in the late 90's and offered factory paint, it was a game changer for them and it became a toss-up as to who imported better models. OMI was always more prolific in their offerings back in the Tom Marsh "hey days" during the 80's and 90's. But their models were know for cold solder joints, loud and problematic drives, crooked number boards and headlights and didn't come factory painted. Sometime in the late 90's I believe they went to factory paint. All except for their 1993 run of the Union Pacific 3 Unit Turbine, which it is one of the most accurate and beautiful models they ever imported.
In later years OMI only built modern diesels, that are of no interest to me, but I hear they are good quality. But, KEY units have always been built and painted well and ran good. Check out the resale value of OMI and KEY F and E units and the KEY models still bring twice as much and are harder to find.
So, I don't think it's so easy to label one current day importer better than another, it's what you prefer and it's what they are importing at the time.
Mark has obviously raised the bar with this new SD-45, so we'll see if anyone cares to follow his lead.
Butch
